


Sunday Morning

by addledwalrus



Series: Those Darn Kids! [6]
Category: Original Work
Genre: 1960s, Abusive Parents, Awkward Crush, Blushing, Boredom, Child Neglect, Children, Churches & Cathedrals, Complete, Cute, Cute Kids, Cutesy, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Gen, Grandparents & Grandchildren, Historical, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Jealousy, Male Protagonist, Male-Female Friendship, One Shot, Parent-Child Relationship, Poverty, Puppy Love, Religious Content, Spiritual, Television Watching
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-13
Updated: 2018-07-13
Packaged: 2019-06-09 18:37:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15273780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/addledwalrus/pseuds/addledwalrus
Summary: Eleven year old Steven attends church with his grandparents in 1969 and experiences a sinful emotion.





	Sunday Morning

Steven was the first in the house to arise on that summer's morning in 1969 and hopped out of bed before rummaging through the pile of clothes on the floor. All of them were hand-me-downs from his great-uncle Stanley, which left him wishing that he could wear new clothes like most other children his age.

He rather sloppily put on a shirt, overalls and trousers, then ran from the room to check his reflection in the nearest mirror. The sight of his unruly hair and freckled face reminded him of the frequent rumors at school that he was some neglected orphan.

The fact that both of his parents were very much alive should have dispelled such hearsay if it weren't for them hardly ever showing up at school to prove people wrong. As such, Steven continued to receive misguided sympathy from teachers whom attempted to mother him against his will.

His mother Grace and father Ross were still lying disoriented in bed when he went to check on them.

"Mom...what's for breakfast?" He asked expectantly while creeping over to the side where Grace was still struggling to open her eyes.

"There's some sliced bread in the pantry. Knock yourself out..." She muttered wearily before rolling over to face in the opposite direction.

"Okay..."

Steven obeyed and dashed into the kitchen with rumbling stomach to follow his mother's instructions. The bread unfortunately turned out to be a little stale and foul-tasting, but he forced himself to eat two slices in the knowledge that there was no alternative.

 _"I bet Barbara gets to have warm toast and porridge everyday..."_ He thought in misery after finishing, only to find that he just couldn't retain ill feelings towards one of the only children whom would play with him at school.

He soon entered the living room, where scorch marks in the carpet reminded him of the time he'd accidentally started a fire by dropping a match. He turned on the television while remembering in guilt how angry Grace had been that day and the way she'd smacked his open palm repeatedly as punishment.

His parents still had not risen after an hour had passed and he heard the sound of a familiar engine right outside. Loud knocking against the door a minute later prompted him to get off the sofa and rush off to let the visitor in.

It was none other than his devout grandmother Edith whom as always, regarded his appearance and the general state of the house with shock. She seized him by the arm and lamented how badly things were being managed.

"If I could gain sole custody of you, I would. Go and tell your parents that they need to get up. This is appalling..."

* * *

Edith succeeded in getting him sufficiently well-groomed enough for church following a mostly one-sided argument with Grace, before dragging him out of the house and into the car where it turned out Grandfather Thomas had been waiting all along.

He barely acknowledged Steven's presence and simply urged Edith to hurry so that they wouldn't be late.

The church they attended catered mostly to working and middle-class folk such as themselves and upon arriving, Steven suddenly remembered a time when Barbara moaned about having to attend Mass every week.

He realized that he'd very likely be seeing her soon and it was enough to make his day seem much brighter.

Sure enough, he spied her sitting in one of the front pews with her well-dressed parents. She turned around in boredom halfway through the service and upon recognizing his face, gave him a friendly smile and wave.

He blushed at how nice she looked in a dress and ribbon, before she had to turn back around in response to a disapproving look from her mother.

They were able to meet each other directly in the lobby after the service was over and it seemed that she was still quite happy to see him.

"You've never come here before. Where's your Mom and Dad?"

"They're at home. My grandma drove me."

"Oh. Where is she?"

Steven glanced around and was able to locate Edith conversing with two other elderly women. He pointed them out and Barbara looked surprised.

"I...I see. It makes sense now. Do you want to get some cookies with me?"

"Sure, I'd like-" Steven began excitedly, before something happened that made him feel a rather unfamiliar emotion.

A slightly taller boy by the name of Kevin pushed his way out of the crowd while they were talking and without even considering the situation, grabbed Barbara's hand as if she belonged to him.

She shook Kevin's arm away and stepped hard on his foot in response, but the interruption nevertheless roused an emotion that Steven had never experienced with such intensity.

Nobody was as special to him as Barbara and the idea that someone could take her away at any moment, filled him with nothing but jealousy.


End file.
